project overview
Frayser Library Exterior Wall-Bound Mural
Artist: Amanda Nalley
Total budget: $150,000 (includes three finalist honoraria of $1,500 each)
Upcoming benchmark/update: Nalley will be working with the selection committee on editing the conceptual design for final design approval in July .
Next committee meeting date:
project concept
Amanda Nalley of Nalley Studio is the Memphis- based artist who's creating a 3D glyph mosaic that speaks to the past, present, and thriving future of Frayser. Each one of the over fifty glyphs in her mosaic's design represents a unique fact about Frayser. The mural will be a place to pause and discover, to get excited about learning, and approach education in a different way. It will be a colorful backdrop for a selfie, and a three-dimensional teaching platform for field trips and families. Most importantly, it will be Frayser Library’s first point of contact with visitors, letting them know not only is this a place of learning, but also a place of community and gathering.
make your make on Frayser
To further engage the community and encourage feedback and participation in the process, Amanda is hosting a super exciting design competition for High School students in the Frayser Area.
Submit your art to be considered for the Frayser Library Design Competition. Awards include a $300 prize, a 3D copy of your design, an invitation to the studio to see the project being fabricated, and most importantly your design will be included in the mosaic!
Scan the QR code to head directly to the google form to submit your art!
“I have learned so much while developing my concept for the Frayser Library Glyph Mosaic and I am thrilled to share what I have discovered with visitors to the library for years to come.”
background
The Frayser neighborhood began as a small farming community in the 1800s, growing rapidly after the construction of a railroad between Covington and Memphis. It is a resilient neighborhood with a strong sense of pride, where residents value entrepreneurship and community activism around home ownership, environmental concerns, and youth activities and education.
Opened on September 11, 1961, the Frayser Branch Library was named for the area’s first practicing physician, Dr. John R. Frayser. A few years after settling in Memphis in 1835, Dr. Frayser built a summer home north of the Wolf River in rural Shelby County. In 1873, a train stop called Frayser Station was built near the doctor’s home, and five years later a post office was also named for the Memphis physician. Shelby County built a hospital for the neighborhood in 1892, and in the 1920s several churches and schools opened in Frayser. The area became an important industrial location when International Harvester built a major plant there in 1947, which remained in operation until 1985. Annexed by Memphis in 1957, Frayser remains one of the city’s most significant neighborhoods.
project description
UAC partnered with the City of Memphis to create a multidimensional wall- bound mural that not only highlighted the environmentally conscious design of the building but, spoke to the history and beauty of the Frayser community. The new Frayser Library facility has been highly anticipated by the neighborhood and will feature a number of exciting amenities and flexible space for community gatherings. Approximately four times larger than the current branch, the new 20,000 sq. ft. facility will be the first government building in the city with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
The LEED sustainability of the facility includes solar panels for green and renewable energy, green building materials, electric vehicle recharging stations and energy and water efficient systems. The building is designed with large, open collections rooms and library stacks, comfortable seating and study areas, and covered outdoor seating areas in the public plaza at the entrance. There will also be a sensory children’s garden, and game and media rooms to support a variety of experiences and activities.
selection committee
Shelley Moore – City of Memphis Frayser Library Branch Manager; Annar Brown – Frayser resident; Theodore King – Frayser Community Schools; Jeanelle Jones – Frayser resident and artist; Mary Wallace – Frayser resident and artist; Lurlynn Franklin – Memphis-based artist; Jamie Stempel – Haizlip Studio; Hussein Ghelichkhani- City of Memphis Engineering Division (non-voting)
